Digging and cleaning apparatus for digging-machines.



H. W. SARGENT.

DIGGING AND CLEANING APPARATUS FOR DIGGING MACHINES, APPLIOATION TILED 1720. 21, 1910.

Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SEEET l.

. l/WE/W'Uf? Herbal"! W. Sargenf BY MQXQQ H. W. SAEGENT. nmeme AND onmmm APPARATUS r03 meme MACHINES. APPLIOATIOH FILED DBO. 21, 1910.

1,@52,97$, Patented Feb. 1;, 1913 2 SHEETS-BKEET 2.

llllllllllll H HUI/Mimi? Y BY 1 whoa/Mm" I selves, the buckets inseam.

HERBERT W. SARGilNT, 013 FORT DODGE, IOWA.

DIGGING AND CLEANING APPARATUS FOR DIGGING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11,19t3.

Application filed December 21, 1910. Serial No. 598.553.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Hicmnnrr 'W. SARGENT, a citizen or" the United States, and a resident of Fort Dodge, in the county of Webster and State of Iowa, have invented a new and improved Digging aiulC-leaning Apparatus for Digging-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to digging machines of the type wherein buckets or scoops are made to fill themselves by being scraped along the surface of the ground to be excavated, such, for example, as theend and sides of a trench or ditch. i

It has for its object to provide airautomatic cleaning or emptying device for the scoop or buckets; and the construction there of comprises a scraper or cleaner arranged in the path of the buckets or scoops adjacent the point where the buckets deliver into a car, hopper or belt. After filling thempass by the scraper or cleaner, which is shaped to fit the inside of the buckets, and in this way the load of earth in each bucket is forced out and drops into the car, hopper or belt, to be carried away and dumped.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification. in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my digging and cleaning apparatus at work upon the end ofa ditch: Fig. '9 is a perspective view of.one oi" the buckets thereof; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one form of the cleaner or scraper; Fig. 4 is a top view of the digging apparatus, showing the cleaner. attached to the framework thereof; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of another form of scraper or cleaner.

On the drawings. the numeral 1 indicates a fran'iework, which consists preferably of parallel side members 2, made of wood or metal, and each having an end bent outward, as shown at These ends 3 support a shaft or spindle 4, whercon are mounted rotatable guiding means 5, preferably in the form of sprocket wheels, as the opposite ends of the bars 2 is mounted a simila r shaft. or spindle 6', carrying sprocket wheels 7. Over thcse sprocketwheels are passed conveyor chains 8, two of which are shown, each of them forming an endless conshown; and atveyer in the form of an elongated closed loop, when in position.

9 is a guide roller arranged on the top of the framework 1 and at a point near the center thereof.

The buckets or scoops are shown at 10, and

are providedalong their front edges with a U-shaped member 11, which serves to s'titien the front edges of the buckets so as to form a rigid digging edge. The ends of these members are attached one to each of the sprocket chains 8, as shown; Each of these buckets has its front open, and the inside thereof is perfectly smooth, the bottom curving evenly upward from the front to the back and terminating in a rear edge 10'.

The scraper is shown at 12, and is held rigidly in position between the bars 2, ad-- jacent the bent-out ends 3, by means of cross-braces 13. Each scraper consists, of 'a shank 14 having an outer down-turned end 15, to whichmay be fastened either a narrow scraping bar 16, as shown in 3, or a broad piece of sheet metal, as shown at 17 in Fig. 5. The scraping bar 15 is bent on an a re which is concentric with the circumference of the sprocket wheels 5, and the back of each of the buckets 10 is curved on an arc of equal radius, so that the down-turned end 15 will coincide with the curvature of the bottom of the bucket 10 and pass over the center of the bottom of each bucket as it scrapes it clean. The scraping bar 16 and the scraping plate 17 are also bent to fit the inside curvature of each of the buckets, so that as each of the buckets is caused by the conveyer to pass over the scraper, the em tire load of dirt which each bucket contains will be pushed out over the rear edge thereofithus forming a thoroughly eflicient apparatus for causing the buckets to empty themselves.

Further, as each of the buckets passes over the cleaning attachment 12, as shown in Fig. 1, the front edge is gradu ally elevated, and the lower end depressed, so that the only resistance to the operation of cleaning and emptying the buckets is that due to the friction of the load, as the scraper pushes the dirt out to the depressed rear end of the buckets 10.

18 shows ahopper or car arranged underneath the scraping means soas to receive the contents of each bucket as the same is emptied. i I

I have shown sprocket. wheels and chains, it is obvious-that I may use-another end 15 will keep the one skilled in the art. I .lt will"becbserved that. the buckets are connected to the chains at their frontends. Consequently, if they are heavily loaded there will be considerable strain on the chain links and braces 11, when t-hebuckets begin to pass return movement, just before they are emp tied. Now if, from constant wear and use, the parts should begin to get loose, so

that the buckets 10 sag a little at their lower ends when they start to'press around the wheel 5, the down-turned curved end 15 of the shank here serves an additional'purpose which is very important. This curved.

bottom of the buckets concentric with thesha'ft 4 and wheels 5, and in this way the scraper will not only clean out each bucket, butiit will also assist inguidmg and tilting 1t, and thus in great measure relieve the strain on the chain links and braces ll. Ordinarily, however, the buckets do not sag, but in passing over the wheel .will tip just the. required extent to keep their bottoms parallel to the cleaner member 15. v A

around the sprocket wheels 5 on their of a scoop or bucket,

,at one end of said loop, said bucket Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire-to secure by Letters Patent 1 e 1. ln a digging machine, the combination an endless movable conveyor forming an elongated loop, said bucketbeing attached to said conveyor and having an open digging end and a smooth upcurvecl bottom extending therefrom, terminating at the rear edgeoit the bucket, and. a cleaner tixeel adjacent to one end of said loop and curved concentrically with said end in the plane of the loop, said cleaner being located in the path of movement of the bucket and shaped to'fit the inside thereof as it passes said eleanen.

2.111 a digging n1achine,the combination of a scoop or bucket, a sprocket chain forming a loop and passingorer sprocket wheels being attached to said chain and hayingits bottom curved eoncentricivith the end of said loop, i

and a cleaning device tired to the digging machine adjacent the end of said loop, and also curr'ed to correspond with the curvature of said end, and being shaped. to fit thebob tom of said bucket, so as to scrape out the contents of said bucket said cleaner. I I

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses. ;f

' HERBERT W. SARGENT. Witnesses:

H. M. PRATT,

HARnrL. SCHULTZ.

as the bucket passes 

